Dark Days
by ToriB66
Summary: When a young girl wakes up with her mind wiped as clean as a slate she has nowhere to turn. As she searches for her missing past she will meet some quite interesting people. Unfortunately she gets caught up in the midst of a starting war because of a certain shady figure, demolishing all her plans of getting her old life back. Will she stay and fight? Possible PitchxOC
1. In Which Nothing is Discovered

The second the girl opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was that it was snowing.

Crisp white flakes fluttered silently to the ground, spiraling gently down to the earth from the bright blue sky. It occurred to her she was laying in the stuff but she didn't feel cold. She lifted a tentative hand and held it up to the snowflakes, feeling the tiny tingles of cold as they landed on her palm. Her own hand was pale, stark white. She brought it close to her face, twisting it this way and that with her eyes wide. There were no veins, no blood vessels, just white skin with black nails. She looked at her arm and then down at her chest, plucking the gray pullover between two fingers.

_Who… Who am I? What am I doing here? _

Then with a sudden jolt it occurred to the girl she didn't have a name. She sat straight up with a gasp, staring down at her two white pale hands as if they had belonged to someone else. She noticed they were starting to tremble and rubbed them together, looking down at her legs next and taking in a deep breath, the winter air shooting down her throat and making it dry. She swallowed nervously and fingered her black jeans, holes torn in both her knees. On her feet were black boots and as she looked at them she realized another disturbing thing.

Where her legs were left no indent in the snow. This was because she wasn't even touching the snow; she was hovering two inches above it. This finally caused her to leap to her feet, her hands springing up to cover her mouth. "How… How is this possible?" she whispered, her voice smooth and crispy, almost like the snow itself. She stumbled a few steps backward, her footsteps not making a single sound as she seemed to walk on air. She crouched down, leaning forward to scoop some snow in her palm and opened her fingers, allowing some of it to trickle out before shaking the rest off and standing back up again.

She hugged herself, exhaling into the frosty atmosphere, and started forward. It was eerie; there were no other sounds except for her breathing and the gentle whispering of the wind through the trees. The girl wondered why she was here. _Why can't I remember anything?_ Snow dusted on top of her head and as she reached up to pat it off she felt her hair tied tightly in a bun on the back of her head. She kept walking, no destination particularly in her mind but she felt like she had to do _something._

She squeezed her eyes shut as she walked, trying to remember something, _anything _that might tell her who she was and how she got there. As she racked her empty mind the girl realized with disdain that her attempts were fruitless; she was suffering from a severe case of amnesia. She clasped her hands to her chest and that notion and stood there, swaying and feeling nothing under her hands. She put one palm over her heart and waited for the familiar thump and pulse but there was nothing there.

This caused fear to shoot through her all the way down to her unknown core and she uttered a tiny gasp. _How come I don't have a heartbeat? Am I… am I… _With a shake of her head she pushed those disturbing, dark thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on finding someone or something to get her connected to the rest of the world again. She kept walking, and her thoughts swirled like oil in the back of her mind, refusing to be shoved away just yet.

Eventually she came to a clearing and there was a frozen lake, glittering in the sunlight. The girl walked on top of it and bent down to examine her own reflection. Her whole body was black and white; all the way from her feet up to the top of her head. The only color she had on her skinny frame was her eyes; huge with curiosity and confusion, the eyes of a child with piercing green irises. She blinked once, twice and then stood up. _What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? Where the hell am I? _

She stuffed her hands in her jean pockets and then in the single pocket on her pullover, searching for a clue but nothing appeared. With a loud sigh she trudged across the lake and up the embankment on the other side, brushing past trees and branches. _If I keep going straight eventually I'm going to hit a town, or someone that can tell me where I am… right? _The girl hugged herself tight and stood atop the embankment, scanning the area for any signs of life but her only response was a pair of squirrels chasing each other in the snow.

She huffed a sigh and squinted even further when she caught the glance of smoke rising in the distance. Her heart leapt into her throat as she gasped and quickly scrambled off the embankment, running towards whatever hope of humanity there was. She ran rather quickly, seeing as she didn't have to force her way through snow and reached the outskirts of a small town in only 10 minutes. She wasn't even out of breath as she ran onto a road into the town, seeing a man walking around on his cellphone.

_Oh thank God, _she thought and walked towards him, trying to make herself look as calm as possible. "Excuse me sir, but could you tell me what town this is? I was hiking and have seemed to lost my way and…" Her voice trailed off as he continued on his cellphone, seemingly oblivious to the girl standing before him. "Um, hello…?" she questioned, leaning forward with a frown on her face.

After a few more seconds of being ignored the stress of not knowing who she was or where she was took its toll and irritation and nervousness won over. Her frown transformed into a deep scowl and she stomped forward, waving her arms and yelling "Hey buddy you mind looking up for-!"

He turned and, still talking on his phone, _walked right through her._

She stood completely still, her mouth hanging open in shock, her eyes two splintered pieces of jade. She sucked in a gasp of air and whirled around. The man continued walking, what had just happened seconds ago didn't faze him at all. With a frantic, choked cry she lurched forward and went right through a woman walking out of a store. Another frightened cry burst from her lips as she turned this way and that, her breaths coming in and out in short gasps.

"Hey… Hey! Hey!" She shouted, running through people and trying to grab onto them, only for her fingers to slip through the fabric of their jackets. _"Can't anybody hear me?!"_ she cried, sinking to her knees in despair, a heavy feeling in her throat. A million thoughts ran through her head.

_What if no one will ever see me or hear me?_

_ What if I'm stuck like this forever?_

_ What will happen to me?_

_ What will I do?_

The girl hung her head, feeling her eyes water up and refusing to let the tears fall. She bit her lip and stood up on shaky legs, watching people head in and out of shops and homes, carrying on with their lives. A small pang hit her un-beating heart; _jealousy. _She was jealous. Envious of how their lives carried on so smoothly, how they could be so oblivious to the lost soul in front of them.

_I can't stay here. I have go somewhere where I somebody can see me. Eventually I'll find someone. I have to. I have to. _

Her encouraging thoughts spurred her to action and without looking back she starting moving again, heading for the unknown.


	2. A Winding Tunnel Leading to Black

**A/N: Welp this is chapter two! I stayed up until 2 AM writing this and was going to upload it until I was rudely forced off by my parents Please enjoy!**

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I_ have no freaking idea where I'm going._

The girl sighed in recognition and defeat and sat at the base of a tree, curling up into a little ball. She had long since left the small town she stumbled upon and the sun was slowly being pushed below the horizon, the sky a mixture of pinks, purples and dark blues. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of bumbling around in the darkness; it wasn't something she looked forward to. At least before the snow had stopped the tiny flakes had given her some comfort but now it was only her and sheer black.

_I have to get somewhere to sleep; _she thought and then hesitated, a sick feeling coming to the back of her mouth. _What if I can't sleep? I mean, I don't feel hunger or fatigue… what if I can't feel anything anymore? _Prodding the thought in her mind she reached down and sharply pinched herself, wincing at the slight jolt of pain.

_So I can still feel. Well, that's a start. _With a sigh she pushed herself to her feet, wishing to feel weary just so she could have an excuse to lie back down and stay there. She swallowed and started off again, heading deeper and deeper into the woods. She glanced down quizzically at her feet again; the feeling of having nothing beneath you was still unnerving to her, even though she had been walking all day. She stepped over a fallen tree and came to a small clearing with a decrepit object right smack in the middle. The snow had barely dusted over it, even though it had been flurrying all day.

She slowly walked towards it, putting a finger to her pursed lips as she stopped right in front of it. _Is that... a bed frame? _Before her was an old, rickety bed frame, the wooden supports splintered and cracked, the iron legs rusted and chipped. It wasn't big, maybe a foot or two at the most so it had to have belonged to a child. There was something dark below the supports, and as she leaned farther over the object, there seemed to be a tunnel hidden underneath it.

_Weird. _She cautiously nudged it with her foot, half-expecting it to jump to life and start running around. When there was no reaction from the forlorn bed frame she kneeled down and fully pushed it aside, wincing as it scraped against the ground. She got on her hands and knees and peered down at the hole. Cool air gently fanned her face and her eyes widened in surprise. _Does this tunnel connect to something? Maybe it's an old mineshaft. But what would something like this be doing in the middle of nowhere... _

She tentatively reached down, her fingers brushing the edge of the gaping hole and shivered. The ground was ice cold and stiff. _It feels like I shouldn't be here... _she thought, unease clutching at her mind. She went to stand up when the ground beneath where she was floating crumbled and with a shriek the girl fell.

_"AAAH!" _ The frightened cry burst from her throat as she tumbled down into darkness, her hands reaching and grasping at anything, anything to stop her fall. The tunnel above her widened and she found herself dropping into a cavern of some sort. Her body flipped around and another shriek echoed throughout the cave as the ground rose astonishingly fast to meet her. She had no time to brace for impact and instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for the worst.

Instead nothing happened. Sucking in a shuddering breath, she cracked open one eye to see the tip of her nose almost touching the floor. With a gasp she scrambled backwards, fear and adrenaline coursing through her. If it wasn't for her mysterious ability to float, well... _I'd be all over the ground, not looking at it, _she thought darkly. Her legs wobbled and shook as she stood up, wringing her hands and trying to get her breathing under control again.

_Okay, NOW where am I? _She gulped and looked around and what she saw wasn't exactly comforting. It appeared the cavern she had unwillingly dropped into appeared to be someone's home. Gothic lights hung from the ceiling, their weak yellow light barely touching the floor. Cages hung from the ceiling as well, the metal reduced to a dull gleam. She slowly turned her head; there was a stairway not too far from her and a chair in front of her. In the left hand corner of the room sat a globe, twinkling with golden lights. The girl took a small step towards it, trying to shake off her unease.

"H-Hullo?" she called out, her voice sounding tiny in such a vast room. She rubbed her arms, a chill running through her body. "Hullo, is... is there anyone here?" Absolute silence met her and she bit her bottom lip. _This is bad. This is really, really bad. _

She sucked in a breath and slowly made her way over to the globe, the bright lights peaking her interest. "What is this?" she breathed, tracing a finger over one of the lights, feeling the cold metal underneath. There were lights all over the continents, excluding Antarctica. She looked away from the globe towards the chair and walked over to that as well. It looked like a throne to her, carved out of black marble and eloquently designed. _Wow._

She bit her bottom lip and sharply looked up, a shudder making her whole body quiver. _I feel a pair of eyes on me. _She fidgeted and quickly began to walk away from the throne, it now appearing black and menacing. The cages creaked over head and she gave a scared squeak, frantically looking around for an exit. _This place is creeping me out; I have to leave right now! _

The stairs caught her eye and she turned towards them, quickening her pace.

**"Going somewhere so soon?" **

The voice made her stop in her tracks, her eyes wide and her mouth in a tiny O of surprise. The voice was masculine and full of malice and hatred, cold and unyielding. _Oh no. _"Oh no," she whispered, her voice barely audible to even herself. She glanced at the stairs; there were only a few feet away. Surely if she sprinted...?

Something cold curled around her ankle and the girl screamed, jerking backwards and nearly falling down. She clutched her arms, fear making her tremble as she stared at the ground, seeing the shadows twist and move on their own. She whipped her head around left and right, only seeing shadows start to circle the spot she stood, closing in like a shark on its prey. _"Please stop!" _Her terrified scream rang out, breaking the stifling silence. Her eyes were squeezed shut, a faint tear running down one cheek and she was shaking, her hands clasping the sides of her head.

If she had a heart it would be in her throat, and if she had a pulse it would be racing. "I-I-I'm sorry! I don't know where I am and I just kinda fell in here, I didn't mean to disturb you! Please just let me leave!" The words came out in a jumbled mess but they had to be said. She raised her head and looked around; the shadows were gone. She sucked in air, trying to calm herself down. _I'm dreaming this isn't real; it's just some sort of sick nightmare..._

**"I don't appreciate simple humans simply intruding upon my home," **the voice said again, not a single trace of emotion in it. _It sounds like he isn't human..._ she thought, an intimidating cloud of foreign fear starting to loom over her.

**"But then again..."** It mused, **"You're no ordinary human, are you?**

She didn't answer; just bit her lip in anticipation and kept her gaze focused on the floor.

A dark chuckle made her tremble again and she pinched herself, trying to regain her composure. **"How about we make a deal then? It's quite obvious you're lost and have no idea what's going on, isn't that right?" **It seemed he- whoever he was- was finding her predicament amusing, like he regarded her as nothing more than a toddler. She stiffened.

_Well I didn't exactly appear confident in myself by breaking down into hysterics... damn I'm such a weakling! _She thought angrily and with a huff, lifted her head. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to put some sort of confidence in her voice. It came out more like the voice of a frightened child and she mentally cursed herself for appearing weak again.

**"I don't believe you're in the position to be the one asking questions." **The voice returned to its normal icy hiss, making her shut her mouth. **"Now then, firstly, why don't you tell me your name?"**

Under any other circumstance she would've blatantly refused, except she didn't even have a name to hide. "I don't remember my name," she whispered in defeat, a wave of sadness rushing through her. "I don't know who I am or how I got here. I just woke up and started looking for someone but..." her voice trailed off. _No one can see me, _she finished in her head. _So why can you?_

There was no reply and after a minute or so the girl was starting to think that the voice was just her imagination. **"Pity, no one can see you either." **Her eyes widened and she looked around in surprise. **"I'll tell you what- you help me with a few things and I'll help you get your memory back, does that sound fair to you?"**

Her mouth hung open. _He... He wants to help me get my memory back? But... but... _She was unsure of how to even finish that sentence. The person, whoever it was that was talking to her, obviously had some clue as to what was going on while she had no idea. He didn't sound like the best person, nor the kindest but he, at the moment, was the only shred of possible hope she had. "I... I accept," she said, her voice dull but with the slightest hint of excitement in it.

**"Excellent," **the voice purred. **"But first, to give you a fitting name for an assistant... Hmm..." **The girl jumped when something brushed her foot and looked down to see the shadows gathering in a mass in front of her, starting to take a humanoid shape. She stumbled backwards, her breath hitching in her throat as a man appeared before her, his skin an ashen gray and his eyes an amber gold. Black hair was neatly slicked back into fine spikes behind his head and a dark robe seemed to disappear into his wrists, the material so long it touched the floor. He tapped a finger to his chin, his eyes looking thoughtfully at her and as she stared back she saw the ugly intentions he had in his gaze.

With a sharp-toothed grin he said **"Ah, how about Zenith? It sounds dark and promising... yes I like it! What do you say?" **The girl blinked. _Zenith? It sounds... weird but at the same time... strong and formidable. _She didn't want to insult the man, whoever he was, so she answered carefully.

"I... I like it as well," she answered slowly and his grin widened. "But, um... What do I call you?"

The man's eyes lit up in surprise and he bent over in a sweeping bow, lifting his head to regard her in amusement. **"You may call me Pitch."**

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**A/N: PITCH 3**

**That's right, my favorite character shows his face so quickly into the story. Pitch will be in most of the chapters from here on out, but it might get a little... chilly near Chapter 4 or 5 (if you know what I mean)**

**Please R&R! I'll try to come out with Chapter 3 as soon as I can.**

**Goodbye for now~!**

**-ToriB66**


	3. I Don't Need Dreams Anyway

"So… what do I do now?" The girl- Zenith- asked. Pitch straightened to his full height, which was a good four inches taller than her 5'6". He glanced at her with one amber eye before starting to walk, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

**"Tell me, what is the outside world like?" **She blinked in surprise at his first question. It wasn't at all what she had been expecting. She envisioned him demanding to know how and why she could float or what else she could do. When he spoke his voice almost sounded… wistful. Curious. Sad; as if he hadn't been outside in a very long time.

"When was the last time you were outside?" The glare he sent her clearly stated that wasn't the answer he wanted, and Zenith quickly stammered "I-I mean, it's nice! Cold and a bit deserted but, it's peaceful out here in a place like this. No noise, no disturbances. It's just… forest." He nodded, accepting her response and resumed his walk, lengthening his stride to a pace back and forth.

**"I don't… get out very much," **he said slowly and stopped again in front of her, turning and placing two fingers on the side of her neck near her throat, making her suck in a small gasp. Now that he was up close she could really see the lines that cut deep into his frown, the dark and hollow look in his eyes. Pitch looked like a fallen god. _Like Hades' son. _His fingers were as cold as ice and Zenith froze as Pitch gave the smallest of frowns.

"**You don't have a heartbeat," **he murmured. **"You've proven to be more interesting than I thought."** He pulled away and she instantly released her tense muscles, letting out a small sigh. Her action made a smirk come to his lips and his eyes gleamed.

"**Are you afraid of me?"** he asked and Zenith opened her mouth, then let it close, unsure of how to respond. Instead she just bit her lip and scuffed one shoe on the stone ground, heat rising to her cheeks. **"Hah hah, hahhahhah!" **She jumped, his loud laugh startling her. _I didn't know he could laugh like that, _she thought, eyeing him warily as he let out a loud sigh.

"**My my, you're the first in a very long time," **he said quietly, almost to himself before grinning at her. **"Let me ask you this, Zenith, do you know what most people call me?" **He said this quite a bit proudly, taking a few steps back.

"Um, your first name?" _Please let that be right._

His trademark glare was back. **"No." **

_I tried._ "What do they call you then?"

His eyes narrowed and his sharp teeth flashed in whatever light there was in the cavern. **"The Boogeyman!" **He exclaimed, throwing his arms in a wide arc as the shadows behind him suddenly came alive. Zenith shrieked as shadows _leapt off the wall _and took the shape of demonic horses made out of black sand, their eyes glowing a lighter hue than Pitch's. One let out a noise than sounded between a whinny and a howl and bounded forward, rearing up on its hind legs, preparing to give her a wicked head-butt. Zenith blanched and tried to scramble out of the way, only for the horses' head to come crashing down-

-and go right through her. She froze in shock as the horse let a startled whinny, turning its head-butt into a stomp and trotted back behind Pitch, sending her a glare. **"Easy, easy," **he cooed, patting its mane as Zenith glanced down at her hands. They were transparent but her bleached skin was slowly coming back, her black nails starting to reappear.

"Whoa," she whispered, marveling at seeing her body become visible once more. She looked at Pitch to see him smirking at her.

"**Very interesting indeed," **he said, one hand absently stroking the horse's mane. Zenith swallowed nervously, wanting to put the spotlight back on her mysterious employer.

"S-So you're the Boogeyman?" she asked tentatively, flinching as the horses whinnied again, black tendrils floating behind them as they pranced about. One leapt over her head and she quickly ducked with a tiny gasp, covering her head with both hands. When she stood up, she noticed sparkly black sand had fallen on top of her hair, shimmering in the weak light.

Pitch ran a hand through one of the horses and it vanished into black sand which flowed around his hand. **"Some call me the Boogeyman, others the Nightmare King. I am the embodiment of fear, the monster lurking under your bed at night." **The in his palm morphed into a bed which quickly crumbled back to dust. **"I am the one who gives children nightmares, the one that makes every little boy or girl cower under their covers." **He smiled at that fact, although it seemed a bit weary. **"I relish the fact I cause them so much fear." **He flipped his hand over and the black sand drifted to the ground back into the shadows.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, _Zenith thought. She glanced around and saw the remainder of the demon horses diving back into the shadows, disappearing from sight and leaving her alone with Pitch. She gulped and faced him again who was rubbing black sand between his fingers, an indistinguishable expression on his face. _He seems tired and almost… lonely. _For a split second Zenith almost felt bad for the Nightmare King but she quickly shook it off.

"Um, Pitch?"

"**What human?" **He sounded bored, like his curiosity over her was already used up. He didn't even glance in her direction as he headed for one of the many corners to the cavern. Zenith bit her bottom lip and took a small step towards him.

"What should I do now?"

Pitch looked at her and held out his palm where a ball of black sand began to form into a small ball. **"Dream for me," **he said, flicking the ball at her. It hit her directly in the forehead and Zenith gasped at the shock, expecting something to happen. But the only thing that happened was fine black dust floating to the ground. Pitch looked as shocked as she was but that look of confusion and surprise quickly turned into an angry scowl. **"How come you aren't having a nightmare?" **he hissed, his hands curling into fists.

Zenith nervously wrung her hands and looked away. "Well, I don't know if I can fall asleep. I mean I don't get tired so I don't know…" She stole a quick glance at him and if possible, grew even paler. Pitch looked _furious. _Absolutely outraged. But as the seconds ticked by she saw a flicker of doubt go through his gaze and something else. She tilted her head in confusion as he muttered something under his breath. Then his thoughtful gaze turned to amusement as he smirked at her.

"**Well then if you don't need sleep then that means you never have to stop working." ** Zenith fought back the urge to groan as Pitch chuckled darkly before resuming his walk into the shadows. **"Oh and Zenith, seeing as you have nothing to do… polish my globe," **he said, throwing something in her direction.

She caught the object in her hands, fumbling with it for a moment before getting a good look at it. "But I don't have any-" She looked up to see Pitch wasn't there anymore. She took a quick look glance around before sighing in defeat and glaring at the rag in her hand, knowing her attempts to locate him in this labyrinth would be fruitless.

"Stupid globe," she muttered, before turning and storming towards the cursed object.


	4. A Player Loses More Than She Gains

**A/N: UGH. Sorry for not updating sooner guys, but my schedule is going to be swamped until Christmas break. This one is a bit longer than the last ones, and Zenith finally gets a (somewhat) solid lead that might help her recover some, if all, of her memories. I will do my best to update once, or twice a week so please don't hate me! *SOB***

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**-Tori66**

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Zenith pulled her lips into a thin line as she stretched out her legs, earning a small sigh of pleasure to escape from her lips. She had been polishing the stupid globe for almost 30 minutes now and it was near to completion. She had been crawling all over the thing, falling off it numerous times but the end was in sight. She twisted the rag in her hand and scrubbed furiously for a few more seconds and then breathed "Done."

She stood up and jumped off the globe, hitting the invisible force before her feet hit actual floor. She straightened up, feeling her back crick into place and stared at the globe as it twisted on an imaginary axis, little golden lights twinkling everywhere. "Freakin' finally," she grumbled, wrapping the rag around her index finger and turning to glance at the stairs where Pitch had disappeared.

A small shiver ran down her spine at the thought of her new "boss". _He said he was the Boogeyman but…_ her thoughts petered off into nothingness as she blinked a few times. _He's creepy, `nuff said. I mean, who has grey skin and sharp teeth? But right now he's the only hope I've got, so I better get used to him, _she thought with a grimace and a sigh.

She turned on her heel and prepared to walk to the stairs in a half-hearted attempt to find Pitch but before she could go anywhere she bumped into a wall. A warm, slightly soft wall. _Wait, when did…? _She stumbled back and then gave a tiny shriek of surprise as Pitch smirked down at her again. _Dammit how does he do that?! _"S-Sorry P- sir," she stammered, feeling her face heat. His smirk only widened and she stared at the floor, wishing to sink through it.

**"I see you've finished the globe," **he commented, allowing his gaze to flick over the rotating object. **"Nicely done." **He craned his neck towards the hole in the ceiling. The sky outside now was black; it had to be at least 7 o'clock. **"You can't do anything when you can't see, so how about we play a game?" **He said, tilting his head slightly to the side and his lips pulling back into a smile, eyes flashing.

Zenith gulped. "Sure." Her voice came out a little higher than a murmur.

Pitch vanished into the shadows and Zenith jumped, momentarily startled. **"Over here girl,"** his voice lazily drawled and she turned to see him lounging in his throne, head propped up on his palm. Zenith walked over, doing her best to ignore his amber eyes and stood a few feet away. He twirled his hand and black sand appeared behind her, forming to make a simple little chair shadowed in his throne. **"Sit," **he told her and she obeyed, quickly falling onto the surprisingly sturdy object.

He flicked his gaze over her, a bored look in his features as he snapped his fingers. Sand swirled up from the floor, making a chess set. She blinked as white pieces formed on her side of the game, black pieces on the other. Pitch leaned forward, saying **"I always did enjoy a good game of chess. It makes the brain work. It's so complex and intriguing than today's forms of entertainment." **

He pushed a single pawn forward and the game began.

Every time it was her turn, Zenith would stare at the board and do her best to think of a strategy, carefully moving her piece. Her irritation grew and grew at the fact that whenever Pitch went he didn't even examine his options; with one push of a finger he signaled for her to go again, a distant look in his eyes as if there was something far more important he needed to attend to. As the game progressed further and further it was clear his attention was fading. Finally she couldn't take it any longer and snapped "Pitch are you ever going to actually get into the game? Because it feels like I'm playing with a machine."

His brow rose in a surprised manner and Zenith quickly looked away, biting the inside of her cheek. _I'm an idiot, a big, fat, stupid idiot; oh my God I am stupid… _**"Well I was wondering when you were going to say something." **Now it was her turn to look at him in surprise, his mouth lifted in another smirk. **"It must've been eating away at you, wasn't it? I bet you were too afraid to open your mouth and say something." **He lifted his queen and placed it down carefully on the board before settling back in his chair, lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on the arm rests.

**"Checkmate." **

A small choked sound came out of her throat as she whipped her head back around to stare at the board, scouring the entire thing. Her face twisted into a scowl and she crossed her arms, dejectedly glaring at the chess board. "Yeah, checkmate," she sighed, seeing her only remaining piece, her king, sink into the board and disappear.

Pitch stood up and waved a hand; the board disappeared and as soon as Zenith stood up as did the chair she had been sitting on. He brushed past her and walked over to the globe, a dark look flickering through his eyes before he started to step into the shadows. Knowing what was about to happen she called out "Wait Pitch, what do I do now?"

He only turned and looked at her from the corner of his eye before melting into darkness once more. Zenith sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, alone again. She slowly walked into another corner of the room and sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest. She rested her forehead on them and bit her lip, staring at the floor.

She had preoccupied herself so much that all her mixed emotions and feeling had been shoved to the back of her mind, bottled up. But not that she was alone all of it just came spilling out, piling up in her mind in a mad frenzy. _What will I do? I have no idea what's going to happen to me. I want to go back. _"I want to disappear," she whispered.

Zenith closed her eyes shut, thinking maybe if she kept them that way long enough when she would open them, her life would be normal. _I just want to be normal, _she thought. She stayed that way for hours, not having anything else to do besides ponder her predicament. Eventually her consciousness flickered on and off and a few moments later her body slumped to the ground.

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_ I opened my eyes. 'Where… where am I now?' I wondered, looking around. An old house; a table to my right. Something urged me to climb upon its surface, to see what was on top but I couldn't reach; my tiny fingers too small to grasp the edge. I tried, standing on my tippy-toes, a frustrated grunt coming out of my mouth. _

_ A small huff coming out of my mouth I stomped over to grab the small stood in the corner of the room. 'Why doesn't anyone use this anymore?' I thought, dragging it over to the table. Getting on top of that was a challenge; my stumpy legs wobbled as I struggled to push myself up, black pigtails floating on both sides of my face. Finally I managed to stand on top of the stool and allowed myself to giggle with pride and success before focusing on my goal._

_ I flopped on top of the table, a small "Oof" coming out of my mouth. I squirmed around into a sitting position and looked over the surface of the table for the object I had gone through so much trouble as a child to get. Then I saw it; a piece of paper flipped over right in front of me._

_ As my tiny hand reached down to pick it up the front door slammed open and my mouth opened in a caterwauling scream…_

* * *

Zenith jerked awake with a gasp, floundering on the floor for a moment before up-righting herself, her breath coming in and out in small pants and gasps. _Oh my God, where am I… Oh. _With a groan she leaned against the wall, placing a cool hand to her forehead in an effort to calm herself.

_Did I fall asleep? What was that dream about? Was that… me?_

She gave herself a minute to get her breathing under control before glancing down at herself in shock, her breath hitching in her throat. Her clothes had changed. Instead of her pants and sweatshirt she was wearing black knee-length stocking with a knee-length skirt adorned with black bows. A simple white blouse with lace stripes going down the back replaced her comfy sweatshirt. She shot to her feet, her face blazing and her hands tightening into fists. _That sick bastard took off my clothes while I was SLEEPING?! Wait… what else did he change? _She pulled back her top a little and breathed a silent thanks as she saw her undergarments were the same. _But to think he actually had the nerve to do that…!_

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she spotted a certain figure circling the golden globe once more. Zenith stormed towards him, stopping a few feet away with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a deep scowl set into her face. Pitch caught her out of the corner of his eye and jumped his brow quirked in surprise. **"You were able to leave and yet you still returned?" **he asked, a bit confused.

"No Pitch I didn't leave," she hissed. "But do you mind explaining to me how I suddenly woke up with different clothes on?" The Nightmare King slowly blinked and then his eyes widened even further.

**"You're implying that I…?" **A somewhat disgusted look came on his face and then his eyes narrowed, his upper lip curling back in a snarl. **"I would never! How dare you even accuse me of such a thing," **he said angrily, his own hands clenching into fists. Two horses leapt out of the ground and started to advance towards her, snorting and whinnying threateningly. Zenith didn't falter; if looks could kill all of three of them would disintegrate into black sand.

They stood locked in silent battle, neither refusing to break each other's withering glare. Finally Pitch smirked, walking to stand beside both of his little show ponies, who nudged his arms for attention. **"Well, well, well. You've certainly got a spine, standing up to the King of Fear. I admire your bravery Zenith, but I wouldn't toss it around so boldly," **he told her. She didn't respond.

Pitch sighed and looked at one of his horses. **"To uphold my end of the bargain, you may take one of my Nightmares to the surface to look for any missing remnants of your former past." **He flippantly waved a hand in the air. Her mouth fell open in surprise. **"However," **he continued, his shadow stretching further and further and slowly covering her, **"if you attempt escape you will suffer the consequences, do I make myself clear?" **His voice was cold and stern.

"Crystal," she squeaked, shrinking under his glare and his shadow. Pitch fell back and ran his hands along one of the Nightmares' necks, reins forming out of the black sand. If she had a heart, it would probably be bursting out of her chest from sheer excitement and anticipation. She would finally be able to search for her past. _Where should I go first?_

He bent a single finger towards her, beckoning for her to come closer. She cautiously obliged, standing warily next to the beast who had tried to crush her the other day. **"Get on." **Zenith tentatively gripped the reins in one hand and pushed herself onto the back of the Nightmare, feeling it grumble beneath her. It felt strange being so high up but she didn't protest as Pitch handed her the reins. **"Off you go, human." **

He clapped a hand on the Nightmares thigh and with a whinny it leapt forward and Zenith lurched forward on its back with a very cowardly squeal. The Nightmare pushed off the ground, Zenith furiously digging her knees into its sides and she screamed as they burst through the roof, clutching onto the reins for dear life. She swore she could hear dark laughter behind her but the instant warm sunlight touched her skin she opened her eyes with a gasp.

"Oh my God…" she breathed. The sun shone bright in the sky, its golden rays basking the world in warmth. She glanced down to see pine trees beneath her stretching on for miles at a time but not too far away she could see towns. Her mouth lifted in a smile and she whooped with glee. The Nightmare galloped in the air before diving back towards the ground. "Whoa!" she cried, jerking on its reins as they plummeted towards the treetops.

The Nightmare flew through the forest, its hooves never touching the floor, black tendrils snaking behind it as it weaved throughout the trees. Zenith ducked and dipped under branches, doing her best to avoid getting smacked in the face.

Finally the horse beneath her started to slow, jogging then moving into a graceful trot, tossing its mane with a snort and craning its neck to glare at her as if saying _"I should just buck you off right now"_. Zenith hopped off its back, gripping the reins in one hand. She clicked her tongue and the Nightmare snorted but followed after her as they headed for the tree-line. Snow still covered each and every branch, glistening in the sun. It was such a bright white that it hurt to look at.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. She had never seen anything like it. Well, at least she couldn't remember if she saw something that came close to natural beauty such as this. The Nightmare pulled back on its reins with a snort as the shadows started to fade and she looked at it in surprise. "Oh you have to stay in the shadows?" she asked and it whinnied. "Oh alright, I won't try to bolt so don't be so anxious." The Nightmare vanished, black sand disappearing in the ground although she knew it was still there.

She started forward, taking note of her surroundings. She was on top of a very steep hill, that much was clear. Zenith began walking down it, hoping that whatever magical force she was standing on didn't suddenly break and send her flying down the hillside. When she finally made it to the bottom a peculiar sound reached her ears. It sounded like… laughter. The sweet, happy laughs of children.

A sudden pang hit her in her temples and Zenith winced, rubbing them. "What the…!" Five objects came speeding down the hill in front of her, laughing hysterically and swerving left and right. She scrambled out of the way, only for one of the sleigh-riders to pass right through her. She inhaled sharply and turned around to see the five kids slowing down, laughing and hollering.

One boy stood up, tossing his hat aside. "Thanks Jack!" he said, collapsing into a laughing fit as one of his friends pegged him with a snowball. _Jack? _She thought and then she saw another figure stand on top of the hill she had been before. It was a teenage boy, probably 15 or 16 with stark white hair, a blue sweatshirt and a pair of worn trousers that hung below his knees. He smiled at the group and twirled a staff in his right hand, the end curled in a shape similar to a spiral. Then, to Zenith's utter astonishment and amazement, the boy _rose up in the air _and _floated _down to the boy who had called him.

"Hey kiddo glad you enjoyed the ride," he said, opening his palm and blowing snowflakes in the boy's face. His eyes grew wide but his smile even wider and with a shout eagerly started a snowball fight. Meanwhile the boy stepped aside, watching them play and grinned, shaking his head and laughing softly.

Then he shifted his gaze and the second his eyes landed on Zenith he froze. She stiffened, her mouth snapping shut. _Can he… can he see me? _He straightened a slight frown on his face as he took a step towards her on bare feet. "Um… hello? You okay there?" he asked.

Her eyes grew practically to the size of saucers. "You… You can see me?" she asked timidly.

He nodded. "Yeah, why? Are you okay, because you look really pale. Are you lost?"

Zenith stuttered out a response. "I-I… Oh my God you can see me! Yes! Hey, can you tell me where I am? I woke up and seem to have lost my memories… do you think you might be able to help me out? My names Zenith," she said, crossing the meager feet between them and sticking out a pale hand.

The boy grinned and shook her hand in an ice cold grip. "Jack Frost. If you come with me, I can help you get your memories back, don't worry."

Zenith smiled but it faltered slightly when she heard a low snort. She glanced at the ground to see a pair of yellow eyes disappear back into the snow-encrusted ground with a faint whinny, black sand dotting the surface where it had once been.

* * *

**A/N: Guess who showed up in this chapter? :D**

**Jack will be in most chapters from here on out, because I know all of you just love his ice-cold eyes and warm smile :3 (and more than that A-HEM)**

**Anywho thanks for reading!**

**R&R please XD**

**-ToriB66**


	5. A Move is Made and a Choice Decided

**A/N: Yay, the next chapters up!**

**...**

**Well I don't have much to say right now except READ.**

* * *

**"She **_**what?" **_The Nightmare King hissed, his hands balling up at his sides. The Nightmare standing in front of him caught the unearthly look in his eyes and backed up, not wanting to get lashed out at as a result of its master's anger. The moment it had returned with the troubling news that the girl had gone with the winter spirit it had feared what the Boogeyman's reaction would be. **"That treacherous girl," **Pitch growled and irritatedly waved a hand at the Nightmare, the moment more than enough to send the beast scurrying back into the shadows.

He took slow steps forward, one hand coming up to cover his mouth, a finger tapping his cheek. _How very interesting that my little "assistant" would run into that annoying boy. It's amusing how eager Frost was to help her with her memories, offering to take her right to the rest of his little team. _**"Hmm." **He paused, removing his hand from his mouth as a grin spread across his face, making his eyes light up with pleasure. **"This may work out to my advantage after all," **he purred, clasping his hands together and sending a hate-filled look at that wretched globe with all its twinkling lights. **"How soon you will all go out again," **Pitch crooned, running a finger down across Asia running into Africa, **"as my Nightmares shroud this ungodly world in darkness."**

His grin grew wider and his eyes more menacing as shadows curled at his feet, drawing his form into darkness. **"And those annoying, pathetic Guardians will never see it coming."**

With a final smirk he vanished into the very shadows he had come from, the very last to disappear were his golden eyes, gleaming with malice and anticipation.

* * *

"I think I'm going mad."

Jack sighed. It was hard to convince this mysterious girl that the rest of the Guardians were real. It would've been a lot easier if Zenith was younger but she was Jack's age. Most kids stopped believing as soon as they hit the double digit years. He ran a hand through his hair, sprinkling some snowflakes to the ground. "You're not going mad, believe me."

Zenith scoffed. "How would you know? I'm trapped in a world where no one can see or hear me besides people who claim to be Guardians or some other mystical power. Then there's the idea that not only Santa Claus but the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman are very real and very alive. And to wrap things up, I myself are apparently magical to some sort of extent, seeing as I am able to float, have no pulse and walk through walls. To conclude, all three of these pointers suggest only one thing- madness. Insanity!" She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "In reality I'm probably tied up in a straightjacket babbling nonsense to myself in some psychiatric facility."

She turned to look at Jack who was staring at her in silence, his eyebrows raised in an _are-you-done-yet? _sort of manner. She couldn't contain the tiny chuckle at the look on his face and wearily exhaled. "Sorry," she said quietly. "The past two days have been… difficult."

Jack shrugged, flexing his grip on his staff. "Hey, no big deal. When I first got here as Jack Frost I had no idea what my purpose was or why I was here for 300 hundred years! Then I met the Guardians, saved the world and learned my purpose in this life." He casually shrugged and tossed a smile her way. "So I can relate to your troubles."

She gaped at him. "300 _years?" _she whispered her eyes wide. Jack inwardly cursed at himself while on the outside he grimaced and pulled his lips into a thin line. "Oh my God. I'm going be stuck like this for a very long time." Zenith suddenly felt weak at the knees, her whole reality crashing down upon her. This wasn't a one or two day thing- this was the rest of her miserable _life. _There would be no escape from it. She was going to remain invisible, cut off from the real world for as long as it lasted. She started to slump forward but Jack caught her around the waist.

"Whoa!" He pulled the distraught girl up to her feet and gave her his best and most reassuring smile. "You might not have to wait 300 hundred years. The Man in the Moon decides when to show you why you're here, no matter how long it takes. After all, he told you your name so you must have a special purpose like myself and the others."

Zenith slightly frowned but tried not to show her discomfort. _The Man in the Moon? Did I miss something here? _She thought and then decided to wait a little longer for more information. Her head felt like it might explode as it was. She merely nodded, avoiding the fact that Pitch had given her a name. "Right… okay then. So when you woke up here, did you have your memories at all?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope. I didn't have a clue but Tooth managed to reclaim my memories for me." When he spoke Zenith saw a distant look in his eye, as if there was something he wanted to forget.

"Oh." Then something he said before made her frown. "Wait… you said… you saved the world?" she asked incredulously, her eyes widening. He beamed, puffing out his chest a bit in pride.

"Well, um, it wasn't just me but I was the one who tipped the scale on both sides." Jack leapt into the air, the act catching Zenith off guard as he hopped right on top of his staff, perching there like a bird on a telephone line. He smiled, his eyes twinkling an ocean blue. "Me, North, Bunny, Tooth and Sandy managed to stop the world by being overrun bad dreams. While there are the good guys, us, there are also the bad guys but hopefully you'll never meet any of them." At this Zenith felt all the blood drain from her face.

_… Could he possibly be talking about…Pitch?_

_ …_

_ …Whatever._

She let a grin spread onto her face. "That's awesome."

Jack did a flip off his staff and landed right in front of her, so close their noses almost brushed. "I am pretty much the definition of awesome," he drawled and Zenith was sure that her face was cherry red as he grinned and took a few steps back, twirling his staff in one hand. "So, how about you come with me to visit Tooth? I'm sure she'd love to meet a new face and she might have a few ideas about your memories."

Zenith frowned. "Tooth? You mean the Tooth Fairy? How would she help me find my memories?"

"Well, in every child's tooth it contains memories of their past. Memories of people's childhood, back when times were simple and not so difficult. She uses them to bring adults a little bit of ease and relief, seeing as a child's memories are full of innocence and just… well, fun. So she should be able to find your teeth and as soon as we get them, you'll have your memories back!" Zenith couldn't help the ecstatic grin that came upon her face. Jack was giving her a better shot at getting her memories back than Pitch was and for the moment, she was a hellvua lot more willing to go with the winter spirit than the Boogeyman.

"Alright I'm in. Question is; how do we get there?"

Jack leaned forward, took her hand in his own and without any warning whatsoever, leapt into the air with a whoop of glee. Zenith's frightened shriek echoed throughout the forest as they rose up high into the air on a gust of icy wind, a lot higher than Zenith would've preferred. "Holy _crap!" _she exclaimed. "You can _fly?!" _Jack laughed and looked down at her, his grip tightening as they banked left. Zenith looked down as they flew over houses, towns, even cities; people appearing as mere dots compared to the rest of the world. A laugh bubbled up and out of her throat as her whole body was filled with electricity; the _thrill _of flying high above the ground, an idea every child craves, was so unreal and yet it was happening before her very eyes.

Soon the wind petered out and they were lift to drift among the after currents, the wind gently blowing a few strands of hair away from her face. It was so calm, so peaceful… she never wanted to leave. "Jack it's beautiful up here," she breathed and the winter spirit chuckled, his grip relaxing in her own

"I know. Sometimes I just wish I could stay up here and never leave, but then I would miss all the fun that the kids have when it snows." She glanced up to see a smile tugging at the corner of his lips and one of her own appeared. They stayed quiet, wrapped up in the silence and true beauty of simply, the world for almost 20 minutes, time going by in a blur when Zenith began to notice that the temperature was dropping. She looked down and saw surprised to see the urban terrain had been replaced with white forest. She shuddered as an icy blast of wind hit her directly in the face. "Hang on, the ride might get a bit bumpy," Jack called down to her and then they fell into a dive.

Zenith gasped, her breath hitching in her throat as they spun this way and that, the air suddenly being filled with snow. It buffeted her in the face and she shut her eyes, looking away as her body continued to jerk through the air. She hoped Jack knew what he was doing and her question was answered only moments later when she felt solid ground beneath her feet. She opened her eyes to see them standing in an ice cave or sorts, twinkling Christmas lights strung up on the ceiling.

She stared wide-eyed, and the first words that out of her mouth were "Bullshit."

Jack laughed, letting go of her hand and instead let it fall on her shoulder. "Welcome to the North Pole," he said and just then the double doors in front of them opened to reveal a most peculiar creature. It was tall, nearly eight feet but not quite. It was covered in long, dark brown fur but was mostly humanoid, save for the gigantic mustache and bulky, furry appearance. It grunted and jerked its head towards her, clearly wanting a reason for why she was there. "Relax Phil, she's a friend. I'm just taking her to see the big guy, alright?" Jack gave her a gentle nudge forward and Zenith gulped, allowing her gaze to drop to the floor as she shuffled past the creature, trying to ignore the irritated grumbles coming from its mouth.

As soon as they were inside however, she lifted her head and her mouth fell open in awe. Toys of every kind, ranging from the old-fashioned wooden trains to miniature flying blimps were scattered all about. More of the furry creatures were bustling around; they were clearly the ones who made the toys. There seemed to be endless floors in this place and Zenith didn't even want to think how high up they were, although nothing could compare to when she flew with Jack. Ornaments hung from the ceiling and tinsel glittered and twisted in the sunlight. _So this is Santa's workshop? _She thought. Jack stepped up next to her and some of the creatures turned and glared at him, huffing under their breath. "Hey Jack, what are those guys?" she murmured under her breath.

Jack chuckled. "They're yetis. Sorta like Santa's not-so-little helpers." Zenith couldn't help it; she giggled like a schoolgirl being told she was pretty and out of the corner of her eye saw Jack's face heat up just a tiny bit.

"Ah, Jack!" A loud, bellowing voice nearly scared Zenith out of her skin, and a small squeal managed to escape from her mouth before she clapped a hand over it. Jack turned an amused gaze her way before swinging his eyes over to a figure making his way through the crowd of yetis. The man who stopped in front of them made Zenith feel like a tiny ant next to an elephant. He was _huge. _She would've assumed him for a Russian boxer had it not been for the long white beard or childish blue eyes. The beard declared it; the person in front of her was Saint Nick himself.

"Where have you been? And you brought new friend here! Ha!" He strode forward and put a massive hand on her shoulder, making her shrink even further. "Well new one, welcome to North Pole!" he boomed, his exclamation accompanied by a hearty laugh. The yetis surrounding them jumped at the noise then grumbled and went back to work. "Come, come, we go to my office to talk."

Jack and North both gave her reassuring smiles and her legs felt a little sturdier as she followed them to North's office, nearly tripping over a few small creatures running around laughing hysterically. She must've looked so startled that North leaned over and whispered "Elves. We let them think they make toys but really… there's something wrong up here." He tapped his head and winked at her; Zenith offered a smile in return and continued walking.

By the time they reached his office, Jack along the way freezing one of the elves solid and playing soccer with it until North thumped him on top of the head with a meaty fist, sending the boy crashing to the ground and shattering the ice surrounding the unlucky elf, Zenith had doubled over in a giggling fit and took her almost a minute to get her breathing under control. Finally North unlocked two double doors and ushered them inside, seating them in what was possibly the plushiest chair Zenith had ever sat in. Well, it looked that comfortable seeing as Jack practically sunk into it, clawing his way to the surface. Zenith could only sit on her little invisible platform and snicker as the winter spirit decided against the cushiony material and instead hopped on top of the back of the chair, holding his staff for balance. North threw a look his way and he sheepishly climbed down, leaning against the wall.

"So," he began, directing his gaze towards Zenith, "you show up here with no memories of anything and have some sort of power"- he gestured for her ability to float- "and yet Man in Moon has not said anything to you?" The Guardian leaned back in his chair, intertwining his fingers and resting them against his chin. "Strange. Hmm…" One of the elves teetered into the room and promptly tripped, spilling cookies everywhere. Zenith jumped and knelt down; scooping up as much as she could and put them back on the plate was the elf was still getting to its feet. It gave her a gap-toothed smile, a small salute and stumbled out of the room again.

She turned around again to find North doing a quick run-over of her and she automatically blushed. But the elder Guardian merely smiled and got to his feet. "Ah, is no big deal. Manny will eventually reveal all, right Jack?" He thumped Jack on the back and he almost face-planted the carpet.

Jack regained his balance and smiled at her. "Right, so don't worry."

Just then a yeti burst into the room, yelling in a garbled tongue which Zenith couldn't make any English out of. Jack frowned and tugged her aside as North frowned, walking towards the yeti with growing concern in his features. "What? Tooth Palace? Ah, not again," he groaned, a bit to himself, and Zenith saw Jack's eyes narrow. North marched forward with a bark of "Jack. Zenith. Follow. Now!"

The two of them scrambled to keep up, North pushing aside yetis and his boots nearly trampling the occasional unlucky elf. He seemed… worried. Afraid. Like a child who has just found out his favorite toy had been stolen. "North, what's happened to Tooth?" Jack demanded, doing his best to get the Guardian's attention. St. Nick seemed too preoccupied to answer his question at the moment and brusquely opened another monumental set of doors, ushering them inside. A few yetis scurried about, returning to the far corners of the cave and eyeing a tunnel warily. North clapped his hands and Zenith heard the huffs and grunts of a wild animal come from somewhere deep inside the tunnel. Then, reindeer, reindeer the size of small cars began to stomp out, snorting and shakes their antlers.

"Whoa," Zenith breathed as they tugged a sleigh into view, two wings protruding from its sides. It was coated in a deep, rich red, a suitable color for a sleigh. _No, not A sleigh, _she corrected herself, _THE sleigh. Santa's sleigh. We're going in Santa's sleigh!_ Even though she didn't know her exact age, she knew people her age didn't believe in Santa Claus and most certainly didn't believe old St. Nick didn't fly about in a magical sleigh, she still felt wonder and excitement spring up inside her, pushing aside her momentary confusion and worry.

North shooed the yetis aside and hopped in the front of the sleigh, taking the reins into his hands. "Well get in! Both of you!" He urged and Jack got in the sleigh, offering Zenith a hand. She took it with thanks, ignoring the cold chills that lingered and sat next to him, looking for a seatbelt. Jack noticed her predicament and shook his head.

"There aren't any seatbelts in this kind of car." Zenith gave a nervous laugh and then lowered her voice as North tugged on a Russian coat and cap, muttering things under his breath. If she had a heart, right now it would surely be racing.

"Jack, what's going on? What's happened at Tooth Palace?"

His troubled expression didn't do anything to ease her unease; in fact, it made it worse. He looked at her, worry set deep in his blue eyes and his answer only made her hands start to go clammy.

"Things to worry about."

* * *

**A/N: IS THAT THE BEGINNING OF A FORMIDABLE PLOT I SEE?**

**...**

**Perhaps.**

**Welp, I won't lie; this chapter was kinda hard to write. For those of you wondering, I don't plan on this fic being an OCXJackFrost but the story writes itself! I'm only used for typing the letters and numbers down. If any of you have watched and finished Sherlock (with Benedict Cumberbatch who is a GOD among lesser gods) then you would know the emotional state I'm in. If you haven't watched Sherlock I highly encourage it, although it may cause severe emotional distress and if not already, a severe attachment to British actors. I have warned thee!**

**Anyway back to the story. I should be able to post the next chapter up next week (or possibly this week!) and then you'll get to meet who exactly is at Tooth Palace. Is it our dear friend Pitch, the Nightmare King, or someone new? **

**You all will just have to wait**

**and**

**see!**

**-ToriB66**


	6. The Match That Burst Into Flame

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! I know it's been a while since I updated, but fret not for this chapter is kinda long and is jam-packed with some freakin' awesome characters! Well, don't let me keep you.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Zenith had dug her nails about an inch deep into the wood in North's sleigh after they had burst from the ice tunnel and were now in the air, the icy wind forcing her to squint. She wouldn't have minded the little ride as much if there had been seatbelts, but the possibility that she could flip out of the sleigh and tumble to the slippery icy below and slide out of the tunnel to her death… well, she certainly didn't like that. She propped herself up, doing her best to breathe normally as North rummaged around inside his coat for something, patting his pockets and muttering things in Russian. "You okay there?" Jack joked and she offered him a half-smile before exhaling and smoothing her hair back.

"Just dandy," she replied and he smiled at her, patting her on the shoulder before settling into his own seat.

"Ha!" North exclaimed, producing a glass ball from the inside of his coat and pounding the air in triumph. "Found you!" He held the ball close and said "Tooth Palace!" before chucking it out into the open air. Zenith gaped as the ball exploded into a funnel with swirling colors and North lashed on the reins, goading the reindeer to the portal.

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head and gripping onto the side of the sleigh, "no, no, no, no-!" Jack laughed and before she could snap a retort at him the reindeer disappeared into the funnel. She gasped as they dove into the portal and surrounding her were just a rainbow of colors twisting and turning and morphing into different shades and forms. It made her head spin but the same second they entered the portal they exited, heading for what she could only guess was Tooth Palace.

It was like a castle floating amongst the clouds, beautiful with pinks and red dotting the golden surface. Jack abruptly stood up, holding his staff and scouring the area. "I don't see anything!" he called and North narrowed his eyes.

"That not good. Hang on!" Zenith gasped as the sleigh lurched downwards and Jack clung to the side of the sleigh, his eyes as wide as hers as they plummeted through a cloud. She closed her eyes and held her breath as the air screamed in her ears. North pulled on the reins and the sleigh jerked upwards, causing her to open her eyes only to see Jack lose his grip on the sleigh.

"Whoa!" he cried and Zenith lunged, grasping his hand just before he fell to the grounds miles below. She tugged him back into the sleigh and they both collapsed in a tangled heap, Zenith trying to regain her breath and Jack trying to slow his heartbeat. "Thanks," he choked out and she gave him a thumbs up before rolling off him onto the floor of the sleigh, focusing on breathing in deep breaths and not in short gasps like that of a dying fish.

"Jack focus and stop fooling around!" North scolded. "We are here!" Zenith sat up as the sleigh dipped into Tooth Palace, skidding to a stop on one of the floating platforms. Thick pillars rose up from each platform and at the bottom of Tooth Palace was a pool next to a painted mural on the wall.

Jack hopped out of the sleigh, North following suit and Zenith slithering out and stumbling to her feet, in wonder once again. "North, where are all the fairies?" Jack asked in a low voice. "There's not a single one here! And where's Tooth? Tooth!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. He began to wander around, both he and North calling the fairy while Zenith looked around, awe-struck.

"Jack!"

They all looked up to see a form drop down from another one of the platforms and hover in front of the two Guardians. _Whoa, she's… gorgeous! _Zenith thought. The Tooth Fairy was covered in mostly green feathers that shimmered in the dimmest of lights, two delicate pink wings blossoming from her back. Her head and forehead was decorated in a variety of feathers and her eyes were a bright, vibrant pink. "Oh thank goodness you're here," she cried, clasping her hands and sinking to her feet, "something terrible has happened!"

Zenith awkwardly twiddled her thumbs behind Jack and North, biting her bottom lip. "Tooth tell us what happened," North demanded, his eyes flickering all over Tooth Palace, searching for something.

She sniffled and absently brushed at her eyes. "M-My fairies… and the teeth… they're all gone. I couldn't protect them and they were stolen from me again!" Jack put a hand on her shoulder and Zenith stepped up next to him, offering the fallen fairy what she hoped was a comforting smile. North narrowed his eyes and pulled out his twin swords.

"Who did this? Was it-?"

"No, it wasn't him," Tooth said. "It was someone much worse. Someone who I didn't even think was alive anymore." The room seemed to darken and Zenith suppressed the urge to shiver. She lifted her head and looked North square in the eyes and Zenith could see the true worry and fear etched within her gaze.

"North, it was Sin."

At the mention of the name the Guardian went stiff, his blue eyes widening. Jack frowned and looked back and forth between the two. "Are you positive it was… _him_?" North asked, his grip on his swords tightening.

She nodded and glanced at Zenith. "Um, are you a new Guardian?" she asked and Zenith's eyes widened, heat rising to her face. _Nope, I'm just some stupid human who somehow got involved._

"No, no, she's not. She just got dragged into all this," Jack interjected before mouthing 'sorry' to her. She shrugged when the sound of a plane caught her attention. _What would a plane be doing all the way out here? _Zenith wondered. She soon got her answer.

"_Now _Sandy shows up," Jack grumbled just as a golden plane burst into Tooth Palace. It buzzed around them a few times before landing next to North's sleigh and disintegrating into golden sand. Zenith's eyes widened as a stout little man floated over to them, his eyes wide, trails of sand following behind him.

_He can manipulate Sand just like Pitch, _she thought. Sandy's gaze rested on Zenith for a moment and he formed a hat on top of his head before tipping it to her. She smiled and gave him a little wave back. A question mark formed on top of his head as he looked between the Guardians.

"Sandy!" North exclaimed. "It's about time!" The little man gave them an apologetic look before sending North another question mark. "Tooth says Sin was here and stole the teeth and fairies," North said in a low tone and Sandy's eyes widened before he put a hand to his forehead, looking bewildered.

"Okay, wait just a second." Jack tapped the end of his staff to the ground and scowled at the rest of them. "There's something you aren't telling me. Who is this Sin guy? Why are you all so scared of him?" The three of them exchanged glances and North heaved a sigh before waving a hand at Tooth.

"Sin… is the embodiment of the seven deadly sins made when Man was first created," Tooth explained, resting on her knees as she explained. "He was one of the very first in this world, made by the Man in the Moon to capture the sins of Man and teach them not to sin again. However, throughout the years he grew evil and masochistic, threatening the lives of not only children, but adults as well." She cleared her throat. "Man in the Moon himself banished Sin into the depths of the earth and supposedly he could never leave. But I fear now he has escaped, and is preparing to eliminate all four of us." Zenith stood there, slightly stunned by Tooth's story. _A person as powerful as that exists in this world? How is that even possible?_

Jack frowned. "Why just the four of you? I'm a Guardian too, right? So shouldn't he come after me as well?" Sandy shook his head.

North took a step forward. "Jack, Sin was locked up in the earth during the Dark Ages. He knows only that we are Guardians. It would be better for you for him to know you are not Guardian. It will work towards… advantage." He swung his blue eyes over to Zenith. "I am sorry you had to get involved," he said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We will try not to pull you further into this."

Zenith nodded when something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head and looked as a small spark of fire floated about in the air near them. "Fire?" Jack asked. The spark spun up into the air and got bigger and bigger, the air growing thicker and hotter with each passing second. North and Sandy backed up, drawing their weapons and Jack staggered back, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. A brilliant burst of red flame the very center of the spark made them all jump back, a small gasp bursting from Zenith's throat. The heat washed off in waves, and she resisted the urge to roll up her sleeves. A ball of fire just… floated there, it's outside a passionate red while its center was a light blue; the very hottest a fire could get. Jack stumbled backwards, beads of sweat rolling down his face. "North, what's going on?" he called, his voice hoarse. He sounded strained. _You idiot, he's Jack Frost. Fire is his polar opposite!_

The ball of fire rapidly expanded and Zenith backed up until she was pressed against a pillar, copying Jack and North's moments. The boy beside her looked weary; his breathing labored while North was twirling his twin blades. Sandy had formed two daggers out of sand and Tooth fluttered about warily, her eyes wide with fear. "It's him," Tooth whispered.

Zenith inhaled sharply and slid behind the pillar, peeking out from behind the column as the fire ball got bigger and brighter. She cringed when a pair of hands clapped over her mouth and gripped her arm, and she felt the ground beneath her feet vanish. A muffled scream managed to escape from her sealed lips before she dropped down into darkness, the air cold and stank as opposed to the sweltering heat she had felt moments ago. Suddenly light hit her face and she looked up to see herself pop up on a pillar far away, seeing the Guardians on a different pillar floating below. She froze when the person behind her leaned over to hiss in her ear **"Be still and do not make a sound."**

Her tense body relaxed slightly. It was Pitch. _Better than that crazy Sin guy, _she thought. Pitch released his hold on her upper arm and slowly his hand removed itself from her mouth and she was able to breathe clearly. She turned her head to look at the King of Nightmares and saw him staring at the fire ball with narrowed eyes. He didn't appear frightened, but more or less nervous, or wary. "I have to go back there," she told him and he shot her a glare.

"**Do you wish to face the wrath of the ancient being emerging from the fire?" **he quipped and she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No."

"**Then do propose such ridiculous statements."**

Zenith huffed in irritation and annoyance. "Did you hear that Tooth's fairies were stolen along with all of her teeth?" She asked.

**"Yes, I heard," **he said quietly. Just then the fire ball started to swirl into a humanoid shape, the tongues of fire lashing out at the Guardians. Zenith felt her breath hitch in her throat as she watched Jack scramble out of the way and turn his head towards the pillar. _He's probably looking for me, _she thought, crestfallen. The fire slowly dimmed and then went out, leaving a person in its presence. **"Get back!" **Pitch dragged her back behind the pillar, resuming his previous position of clapping a grey hand over her mouth, his other hand clutching her arm to keep her still. He held her tight against him as a child would with their toy and she felt heat rise to her face. _Too close for comfort-! _Zenith grumbled against his hand about not getting a good view but didn't protest as both of them slyly looked at the commotion from behind the pillar.

"Why _helllll-oooo_ there, little Guardians!" The voice that came from the figure was deep and smooth, tinted with a British accent. There was a rich and hearty laugh that followed this statement and she saw the person's shoulders quivering as they fought to compose themselves. Zenith squirmed in Pitch's grasp, trying to get a good look at whoever was speaking but he yanked her back with a scowl. There was a loud sigh. "Ah, it feels _so_ good to get out after being imprisoned for centuries. But you wouldn't know that feeling, would you?"

His voice dropped a notch and Zenith could feel the frown in his voice. "Hang on. There were four of you, and now some kid has replaced the kangaroo?" He scoffed. "The little rabbit must be busy. I'll pay him a visit once I'm done here, but for right now, who are _you, _little boy?"

"He's none of your concern Sin. You deal with me." North's voice rang out and the room felt silent, the temperature in the room steadily rising. Anxiety made her blood boil as Zenith bit her bottom lip, clenching her hands into fists. Pitch made a small noise of amusement from behind her and gave a soft laugh, his eyes gleaming at the sight before them.

**"Now he's gone and done it," **The Nightmare King murmured, his chest vibrating softly with each word. Zenith narrowed her eyes at him and felt the pit of fear in her stomach grow ever further at his words. She grasped his hand and pulled it away, his skin unusually cool but not near as cold as Jack's.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly. Pitch's eyes flicked down to meet hers and she couldn't help but notice the small amount of satisfaction in them, and the tiny curl of his lips at the edges. _Is he glad that they're in this position?_

"Tooth!" Zenith snapped her head around to see Jack pile-drive Tooth to the ground, saving her from the torrent of flame that rushed over their heads. Sandy cracked a long, golden whip against the Sin's arm and it wrapped around his bicep, pulling tight. A soft chuckle reached her ears, growing louder and louder into laughter as the fire that had been directed at Jack and Tooth now blazed along Sandy's whip.

Sandy jerked back and Zenith saw his golden whip fall and shatter when it hit the ground and the little man's eyes grew wide. She felt Pitch stiffen behind her and her own eyes went wide._ He melted the sand into glass…! _Flames coiled around his laughing form and shot forward towards Sandy. _"Sandy!" _Zenith managed to shout and the second the sound left her lips the fire vanished into orange sparks and she glimpsed the figure turn his head in their direction.

**"Idiot!" **Pitch growled and jerked her backwards but a tongue of fire lashed out at the two of them, the heat scorching her skin. Zenith shrieked and backed up against Pitch, who waved a hand and a wall of black sand swirled around the flames, watching as it slowly started to melt. **"Get down to those pathetic Guardians," **he rasped, and the shadows she was standing in got darker and she knew what was about to come.

"But Pitch-!" Zenith dropped into darkness before she had a chance to finish her sentence and then reappeared behind Jack, stumbling forward and nearly toppling over.

"Zenith!" Jack cried, gripping her upper arms in relief. His face shone with sweat and she noticed his knees trembling slightly. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Well, well, well. Who have we here?" A string of fire snaked out and shot towards them both and Zenith swatted at the fire unsuccessfully but to her surprise, it went right through her. _I'm doing that… thing again! _She thought and for once, was grateful for her unexpected use of her so-called "powers". Jack stared at her in surprise for a second before the flame redirected itself at him and slammed into his torso, sending the winter spirit flying back with a cry of anguish.

"Jack!" North shouted, his voice laced with fear but before he could even take a step forwards his fallen friend a wall of flame rose up, and covered the surrounding area where Jack was, creating a small dome. Another laugh rang out and Zenith turned to see Sin standing directly in front of her less than a foot away.

He was shockingly pale, as white as she was, scarlet hair hanging down to the nape of his neck and two equally bright red eyes with black sclera's stared at her from behind his bangs. There was a tattoo traveling across his chest near his collarbone, and he wore only a black t-shirt with red pants topped off with black loafers. Zenith stood there, paralyzed with fear as Sin loomed over her, his eyes widening slightly. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a humongous truck with no means of escape. "My, my," he purred, "you look recognizable. I seem to remember you, little girl."

A small, undistinguishable sound slipped between her lips as he placed a single burning finger under her chin, causing her to whimper in pain. Then, as a large grin spread across his face, they both burst into flame. "No!" North cried, reaching for her and Zenith cried out in shock, expecting the fire to melt her skin and for pain to flood through her body. But she felt nothing, except for her hair fall down her back as her hair tie was burnt to ash and as she looked down at her hands she noticed her body wad see-through again. Their hair waved about in the heat and Sin's grin widened. Zenith wanted nothing than to be a thousand miles away from him, to just run out of Tooth Palace and fly away like Jack could. Sin brushed his thumb against her chin and she gasped, shrinking against his touch.

"I can tell you are going to be"- he bent closer so that his lips brushed her ear- "_very _interesting." He stepped back and fire rose up, turning a deep, blood red and obscuring Sin from view. It then burst into small sparks which drifted to the floor, the dome around Jack disappearing into a shower of sparks which vanished into the ground, leaving four stunned Guardians and one equally stunned human.

* * *

**A/N: IS THAT**

***GASP***

**ANOTHER OC?!**

**Yes indeed he is and Sin is here to stay! I really hope you enjoyed him, because he isn't going anywhere. **

**...**

**Yet.**

**MOVINGON as you can see there's some *cough* TENSION between Zenith and a certain Boogeyman so you can all also look forward to THAT as well. Oh, I am SSOOOOOO going to enjoy writing that XD**

**Consider this chapter my early Christmas present and if I don't get to update before the 25th MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY FLIPPIN' NEW YEAR! **

**-ToriB66**


	7. Weak Hearts

**A/N: Well, because you guys all wanted it so badly, I present to you: Chapter 7! My Christmas present to all you lovelies :)**

**Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! **

* * *

Breathe,_ Zenith, BREATHE._

The girl wheezed for air, coughing on her hands and knees as Sandy patted her back sympathetically. The instant Sin had left North and Tooth had rushed over to Jack, who was unconscious and running a dangerously high fever. She sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly, croaking "I'm okay Sandy, thanks." The man stepped back as Zenith got to her feet, rubbing her throat and grimacing against how dry it was. _It seems I have breathing problems, _she thought glumly. _Great._

"Sandy, get sleigh ready!" North barked, slinging one of Jack's arms over his shoulders while Tooth took the other. He nodded and quickly hopped in the sleigh, gripping the reins tightly and making room so they could lay Jack down. Zenith stood there, unsure of what to do and where to go and anxiously gnawing at her nails. The two Guardians gently lay the winter spirit down in the sleigh and Jack gave a groan and coughed. Sandy shot them a worried glance and North passed him a snow globe. "Here, go back to Pole. Tooth and I going to check on Bunny."

Tooth fluttered over to Zenith, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Zenith, are you alright?" she asked, genuine concern reflecting in her pink eyes.

She cracked a fake smile, hoping it would pass. "I'm fine," she said quietly.

Golden sand floated over to pick up Jack's staff and lower it next to him. He shivered and automatically clutched it to his body, sweat dotting his forehead again, his mouth pulled into a tight line and his eyes squeezed shut. "Zenith." She looked up to see North was staring at her, his once mischievous and bright blue eyes now cloudy and dark. "Go back with Sandy. You will be safe there."

She gave a slight nod and clambered into the sleigh alongside Sandy and Jack, looking at the winter spirit with sorrowful eyes. The little man cracked the reins and the reindeer snorted, trotting then galloping forward. Zenith turned around to see the small figures of North and Tooth smash open a snow globe and disappear before the sleigh left Tooth Palace.

There was a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to see Sandy holding out the snow globe to her with expectant eyes. _Oh right, he can't speak, _she realized before taking the glass ball in her hands. She held it close to her face and told it "North Pole!" before throwing it out of the sleigh. Sandy grinned at her and gave her a thumbs-up. _How can he be so… jovial at a time like this? _She wondered.

The giant portal opened again and Zenith squeezed her eyes shut as Sandy snapped the reins. There were brilliant flashes of light inside her eyelids and then they vanished, and she opened her eyes to see the North Pole was in front of them.

Zenith frowned. _Something's not right here. _Sandy directed the reindeer to the front entrance and she held Jack's shoulders to prevent him from sliding around the sleigh, the winter spirit giving a small cry in his sleep. She instinctively clutched him closer, allowing his head to rest on her lap as the sleigh slid inside the icy tunnel. Sandy hopped out and tendrils of golden sand waved around, coiling around Jack's body and lifted him out of the sleigh. "I got his staff," Zenith told him and the little man nodded before scanning the area with a slight frown. She hopped out of the sleigh, holding Jack's staff in one hand. "What is it Sandy?" she asked.

A golden image flickered over his head. It was a yeti. Her eyes widened as Zenith understood what he was trying to say. Where were all the yetis? There were some in the loading dock when they took off… where had they all gone to? The reindeer snorted and stomped nervously, swinging their heads about and she absent-mindedly patted their backs in a small effort to calm them down. "Sandy, let's find somewhere to put Jack down first and then we'll go look for the yetis, alright?"

Sandy nodded and the two of them started forward, Jack hovering several feet off the ground on a golden cloud, mumbling in his sleep. _He looks awful, _Zenith thought to herself. His pallid hair was plastered to his forehead and his eyes and cheeks looked sunken. His whole body was trembling but with cold or fear Zenith couldn't tell. She grasped the arms of his sweatshirt and rolled them up, his normally icy skin seemed warm underneath her touch and it was unnerving. Sandy turned to beckon her with a finger, pointing to a small room on the right. She walked forward, grasped the doorknob, opened it and then gasped, stumbling back a few feet.

**"Well if it isn't the Sandman," **Pitch drawled, emerging from the shadows with a grin on his face. Sandy's usual kind face twisted into a deep frown, and two golden whips formed at his fingertips, poised and ready to strike. Pitch smirked. **"That's cute, it really is."**

"Pitch what are you doing here?" Zenith asked and Sandy's head whipped around to regard her with a shocked look. Symbols flashed above his head; there was a question mark, then an exclamation point and several others that went too fast for her to tell what they were. The Nightmare King slowly turned his head to stare at her as she said "We need to get Jack help, he's really hurt."

He merely snorted. **"What a pity. How, unfortunate that little Jack Frost had a personal encounter with Sin. Really, how tragic," **he said, fake sadness put into his voice as he clasped his hands under his chin, pouting at Sandy, who narrowed his eyes. Zenith looked at him in disbelief.

"How can you be so… cold?" she asked, her mouth falling open and her hands twitching into fists. "It's like you _want _him to be in pain!" Pitch rolled his eyes and anger flared up in her chest, making her next words a shout. _"Don't mock of me!"_ The instant the words came out of her mouth her eyes widened and she snapped her lips shut, regretting her action and wanting to disappear into thin air.

Now it was Pitch's turn to look at her in disbelief, his eyes narrowing with anger and his lip curling back. In one fluid movement he had appeared in front of her, looming over her with blazing golden eyes, one hand ready to strike her where she stood. **"Learn your place, **_**human**_**," **he hissed, **"or I'll put you there myself!"** Zenith scowled at him and became transparent, moving to stand beside Sandy, her lips pressed in a tight line.

_Why is he acting like this? _She thought, twinges of fear shooting down her spine. Pitch had wanted to hurt her. Physically wanted her to feel pain, to feel afraid of him. _Ah. So that's why. He wanted to intimidate me. _The realization dawned on her and she blinked, smoothing out her hair. Sandy shot her a look as Pitch took a step towards them, black sand swirling in his open palms. Pitch smirked and let his hands fall, the sand fading back into the shadows. **"Well, I really must be off. I have what I came here for Sandman, and you know I don't like to linger when it's not necessary."**

His eyes flashed and he sank into the shadows, dark laughter fading with him. Sandy scanned the area before lowering his whips and turning to face her with a stern look, his arms crossed over his chest. _Oh crap, _she thought. "Sandy, can you please just… not, tell the other Guardians that I know Pitch?" His eyes narrowed and he floated up to look at her eye level. "Please?" she squeaked when a groan interrupted them.

They both turned to see Jack sit up on his golden bed, his limbs trembling from effort. "Sandy? Zenith? What's going on? Where… Where am I?" His voice was unsteady and slurred and they hurried over. Sandy lowered him to the ground and Jack moaned, holding the side of his head. "I'm so hot," he mumbled.

Zenith shot him a smile and handed him back his staff, which he gratefully took. "I'm not arguing with that one." He offered her a weak grin in return as she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "Jeez, you're burning up," she exclaimed. "I'm gonna go get some snow. Sandy, can you get Jack to a bed or something?" He sent her a thumbs-up and she quickly hurried to North's office, still not seeing a single yeti or elf. She had a queasy feeling in her stomach about what was going on but ignored it. She pushed open the door to his office, cringing and half-expecting for Pitch to be standing there again but there wasn't a soul in sight.

She ran forward, scooping up some of the snow on the floor and gathered as much as she could when she heard a chuckle behind her. _I really hoped he would've left for good, _she thought to herself as she straightened with a sigh. "What do you want Pitch?" she asked, not turning around.

**"We still have a deal, you and I, one that I intend to keep." **His breath was low and tickled the back of her ear as Zenith whirled with a gasp, instantly snapping her mouth shut and replacing it with a frown. His smirk faltered a bit at the look she was giving him. **"Oh, why the face? It doesn't suit you," **he murmured, brushing a thumb against her jaw-line. She inadvertently shuddered; it was the same thing Sin had done and Pitch's eyes narrowed. **"There's a slight burn mark on your chin. I told you not to confront him, didn't I?"**

"I didn't exactly confront him," she mumbled. "It was more like he suddenly showed up in front of me and grabbed me." She huffed and adjusted the small pile of snow in her arms; it was getting so cold that her arms were starting to feel hot and sticky. "I do have somewhere to be, unless you'd rather have me dump this pile of snow on _your _head."

He snorted. **"Cold and dark do mix… just not in that way." **He leaned over her, making Zenith shrink and bite her bottom lip. **"I am in need of a favor, my little assistant," **he said and she inwardly groaned.

_ He has terrible timing. _

**"Do not tell any of the Guardians we are… acquaintances, understood?" **

Zenith grunted and tossed her head back, trying to get some of her hair out of her face. "That would be a whole lot easier if you hadn't shown up before and blown your cover in front of Sandy." She added a bit of snarkiness to the end of the sentence and it clearly showed; Pitch bristled and his eyes narrowed.

**"Do not lecture me, girl," **he snapped. **"I know what I'm doing, and you need not question my authority."**

"Sir yes sir!" She gave a salute with one hand and one of his eyes twitched in irritation. She re-adjusted the snow in her arms; it was getting heavy. "Now if you'll excuse me, I do have somewhere to be," she added, brushing past the Nightmare King and heading for the door. She walked out of North's office and glanced a little bit over her shoulder, expecting Pitch to be trailing behind her, ranting about her lack of respect. But he was gone.

"Good riddance," she muttered under her breath. "He's so uptight and annoying and- _WAAH!" _Her foot caught on something and she went flying, face-planting in the same snow she had been carrying. _Oh my God that was so embarrassing. I really hope Pitch didn't see that… _she thought. She sat up with a gasp, brushing snow off her flushed face and twisted around to see what she had tripped on. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as the elf teetered about, trying to fix his hat. He finally did and ran forward, tugging on her sleeve with a worried expression.

Zenith stood up and gathered whatever salvageable snow there was left. "Here, follow me first and then we'll go look for your friends, okay?" It nodded furiously and clung to her pants leg the whole way back. When she finally stumbled back to Sandy and Jack the winter spirit sent her a sympathetic smile and then cast his eyes down to the elf.

She walked forward and completely dumped all of the snow on top of Jack and he sighed with relief. "Thanks," he said quietly and she pushed some hair out of her face.

"No problem. Hey Sandy, can you go with this little guy to see where the rest of the elves are?" she asked and Sandy nodded, holding his hand down to the little elf who took it gratefully and led the way, his hat jingling. She turned back around to see Jack staring at her and felt a slight blush rise to her face. "…There's snow in my hair, isn't there?" she asked and he gave a raspy laugh that broke off into a cough.

When he got his breath back, he pointed and said "No, I've just never seen your hair down before. It's beautiful, really." Zenith felt her face heat up even more and her insides squirmed. _Wait, if he complimented my hair, does that mean he complimented the whole me? Or does that mean he just likes my hair and not the rest of me? Oh my God, what if I'm really ugly to him?! _"Hey Z, there's purple tint in your hair," Jack piped up and Zenith jumped, bouncing out of her thoughts and back to reality.

**"Very observant Frost." **

Zenith nearly jumped out of her skin at the silky voice behind her and gave a small shriek, doing a 180 and tripping over to stand next to Jack who looked equally as surprised. "Pitch," he growled, struggling to sit up. "What are you doing here?"

He smirked and paced about. **"You have no idea how fantastic it feels to see you in such a decrepit state. It's quite humorous to me, actually." **Jack used his staff as support and managed to stand on wobbly legs before nearly collapsing, Zenith lunging forward and grabbing him before he hit the ground. Pitch stopped and looked at them sharply, his lip curling in a snarl.

"Z, you gotta get out of here," Jack gasped. "It's not safe here, not with Pitch."

**"Oh I have no intentions of hurting my assistant," **Pitch said, his fingers curling around her shoulders and pulling her back, forcing her to let go of Jack. Zenith froze as Jack's eyes widened and she saw a flash of hurt go through them before he pulled himself up again, his whole body shaking with effort. **"You see," **Pitch continued gleefully, **"I found Zenith **_**before you**_** Frost. She's **_**mine.**_**"**

Zenith opened her mouth to protest; she didn't belong to Pitch or anyone else. But before she could she felt the ground beneath her fade and the two of them dropped down into familiar darkness. The last thing she heard was Jack shout her name.

* * *

**A/N: I'm evil, I know.**

**That, ladies and gentlemen, is a CLIFFHANGER!**

***dun dun DUNNNN***

**Looks like Pitch has claimed Zenith all for himself, that greedy gorgeous Nightmare King ;) However, it also looks like Jack isn't going down without a fight... So place your bets! :D**

**I hope everyone has a wonderful winter break and just remember to be thankful for what you have. For all the grieving parents and families in Newtown, my heart goes out for you. I feel terrible for what happened to those poor people; none of them deserved it. Rest in Peace 3**

**Goodbye and I hope Jack brings you some snow for a white Christmas!**

**-ToriB66**


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